How to break a sire bond
by I-blew-up-the-council
Summary: „I'm setting you free, Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy." Her whole world falls apart when he sets her free. But she knows her feelings for him are real and she's determined to break the bond to prove it! Starts in episode 4x09 so Jeremy is still alive (yay...!).
1. 1 - Please, don't do it!

**Disclaimer:**

I own nothing!  
At least nothing remotely related to the awesome show "The Vampire Diaries"... it's sad, but it's true.  
It's all Julie and Kevin! I love these guys for creating such an incredible show!

Oh... and I do not own the books either... haven't even read them!

Enjoy...!

**Special thanks go to my awesome beta BeautifulDreamer.x who helped turn my "sucky" english in a beautiful story! I love and appreciate everything you did! 3**

A/N:  
Reviews are greatly appreciated! ;-)

-

Elena looked out onto the deck, her gaze drifting towards Damon who was sat on the railing. She smiled at him and waved him to come in. He however, simply returned the smile before looking away quickly. Elena grabbed a strand of mistletoe she had found in a box full of old Christmas decoration and walked out to him instead.

"With all of the drama, you're missing the actual fun part." She held the mistletoe over her head, a flirty smile settling on her face as Damon looked up.

"Elena, we can't. I can't."

"Damon, you can't keep telling me that this isn't real. I know how I feel and that you feel it too, so stop fighting it." Damon didn't respond. He looked into the house at Bonnie and Jeremy who were still going through boxes of decorations, smiling over old memories.

"It's good to see you like that. All normal with your brother. I want that again for you. Christmas was always mine and Stefan's favorite holiday when we were kids. Not that I've celebrated it since. I kind of miss that." The reason why Damon has been so reserved the whole day suddenly dawned on Elena.

"You're thinking about how upset he'll be when he finds out that you and I are together."

"I've been lying to him all day."

"No, you were helping me with Jeremy."

„The point is not what I was doing. The point is that I'm here with you. I was supposed to invoke the sire bond, Elena, send you away. I was supposed to do the right thing by you and the right thing by my brother. Which is what I'm gonna do right now. You're gonna go home."

„What? No, Damon."

„I'm gonna stay here with Jeremy. I'm gonna help him complete the mark. I'll teach him how to hunt, I'll protect him, and we'll kill vampires without you."

„Damon, please."

„I'm setting you free, Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy."

Elena looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Please Damon, this won't change how I feel. It never was right but it is right now... that's what you said two days ago, remember?" Elena tried to reason with him, but he didn't listen to her. He turned and entered the house, leaving her to stand alone.

Elena made a grab for the railing Damon was sitting on just moments ago to steady herself. In a matter of seconds, her whole world, which was finally complete now that she had admitted her feelings for Damon, seemed to crumble. She felt like someone had ripped her apart from the inside. Her stomach was jolting, making her feel nauseous. If she still had a beating heart, it would be hammering right now. She started to hyperventilate and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Damon had to use all of his strength to keep his promise. As if the 'freedom' part wasn't hard enough, his heart broke completely when he looked into her doe-like eyes. Tears already welling up, her expression scared, almost horrified of what was to come. He shook his head, attempting to banish the thoughts from his mind. He had to do it; he had to do it for Stefan and most of all he had to do it for her. He knew how important it was for Elena to make her own decisions; to have her own opinion on things and how she loved to reason and argue with everyone. He couldn't take that away from her. He had no choice; he had to set her free.

On autopilot, Damon rushed through the living room, snatching up a bottle of bourbon as he walked and headed to the front door. He could hear Jeremy and Bonnie's laughter echo throughout the house. Opening the door had taken him as much effort, as if the damn thing was made of steel and covered in vervain. Everything he'd done – from walking to breathing or even using any of his senses – was suddenly harder than anything he remembered.

He sat down on the front porch and gulped down some bourbon straight from the bottle. How was he supposed to live like that? What if it was true and Elena's feelings have been caused by the sire bond? What if she'd go back to loving Stefan again? Before all of this had happened, he could only fantasize about being with Elena. She's been his brother's girl and it has been pure torture to watch her with him, but now? Now, that he's had an actual taste of the real thing? Now that he'd enjoyed 12 blissful hours with her? He couldn't do that again. He couldn't watch them being all lovey-dovey and just stand on the sidelines. Those 12 hours – as short an amount of time it was – had been the best hours of his entire existence. He couldn't just wipe the memory away. Setting her free might fix Elena, but it sure as hell would destroy him.

Elena was still trying to regain her composure when she heard someone behind her. She didn't have the strength to turn around and really... it didn't matter. As long as it wasn't Damon – and of that she was absolutely sure – nothing else mattered anymore.

"Elena? Hey, what the hell happened out here?" A femine voice asked her as a hand stroked down her back. Bonnie. She let out a strangled sob, making Bonnie jump in shock. "Hey... calm down, what happened? Damon just walked through the house like a zombie! Talk to me, Elena..." With a little help from Bonnie, Elena managed to turn around before sinking to the floor. Bonnie sighed and sat down on the deck beside her, still stroking her back, attempting to soothe her.

"Talk to me..." she repeated softly. Elena took a few deep breaths and eventually, the tears stopped. "He set me free. I don't want to be free if that means I'm losing him, Bonnie! I can't lose him... I don't know what to do!" She managed to tell her best friend before she started sobbing again.

"What do you mean he set you free?"

"Apparently I'm sired to him."

Bonnie looked shocked. "You're what?"

"I couldn't keep animal blood and bloodbags down because he had told me I could only drink human blood straight from the vein. When he'd asked me to try a bloodbag agin yesterday, I didn't throw it back up. I'd told you about that last night. I was turned with Damon's blood which created a sirebond."

"And is there a way to break it?" Bonnie asked.

"The only way to break it is for Damon to set me free. He did that about five minutes ago..." Elena told her, a hint of bitterness showing in her still weak voice as she wiped her wet eyes. "He told me that it would make him happy if I'd live my life without him. I can't, Bonnie, how am I supposed to do that?"

"Elena... I'm sure he didn't mean it like it seems. He won't be happy without you. He did that _for you_. I know this doesn't make you feel any better right now, but he loves you, Elena. Everyone knows that."

"I know he loves me... And I really like him, too, Bonnie! My feelings aren't a product of that stupid bond! I spoke to Tyler about it and he said the bond only affects how you act, not how you feel. You know I've had feelings for him way before my transition!"

"Yeah, I know." Bonnie had never been too pleased with Elena's affection for Damon but seeing her best friend like this, it broke her heart. She knew Elena loved him and after everything she had been through, she deserved to finally be happy; even if that meant Bonnie had to come to terms with Damon.

"And Damon doesn't believe you that your feelings are real?"

"Apparently not. I told him I didn't want him to break the bond because it has nothing to do with my feelings for him but he 'set me free' anyway."

Bonnie looked concerned, clearly thinking hard about something. "I get that Elena, but not breaking the sire bond doesn't seem like an option... I mean you would never be able to make your own decisions. Haven't you always loved that about Stefan? That he respects your decisions no matter what?"

"Damon would _never_ take advantage of that!"

„Maybe not intentionally... but think about our trip to Whitmore College. You couldn't drink from that blonde girl because you'd seen the picture of her little sister. He said it was in your nature to feed from people. He hadn't told you to feed from another person specifically. But yet you still did it. You had fed from almost everyone at that party and you'd enjoyed it. So if the sire bond doesn't only influence you directly like when Damon gives you an order to do something, but also passively like when he doesn't like something, you try to make it right so he's no longer disappointed... you could end up with a problem."

Elena thought about that for a second. Maybe Bonnie had a point. Elena was sure Damon would never use the sire bond on purpose, but if it really worked that way – and it seemed like it – then they really had to break it. She knew one thing for sure, she wasn't ready to give up on Damon! Not now, not yet! She was finally ready to commit to her feelings for him and now, after merely two days, she was supposed to let him go again? No way! She would break that damn bond and proof to Damon – and to everyone else – how she was truly feeling.

"You could be right. If it works like that, we have to break it! Can you look in your grimoires? There has to be a spell for something like that. Please, I can't do this without you..." Elena pleaded and Bonnie didn't have to think twice about it. She wanted her best friend to be happy.

"Of course I'll help you! But it'll take some time to figure something out. Give me three days, alright?" Bonnie smiled a heartfelt smile which Elena returned, happily.

"Thank you, Bonnie!" Elena pulled her best friend into a tight hug without using too much vampire-strength. She knew Bonnie would find a spell. Elena let Bonnie go and stood up, helping Bonnie to her feet. Stepping back into the house, they gathered their things and both said their goodbyes to Jeremy and Shane. Elena glanced around but with no sign of Damon, she simply picked up her bags and headed for the door with Bonnie at her heels.

Damon didn't know if he had sat there for minutes, hours or days when he slowly awoke from his numbed-out state. He heard Bonnie and Elena talking inside the lake house and knew they would be out there in a few seconds. Quickly glancing back, he ran off, his vampire speed powering him through the trees. Another look in Elena's eyes and he wouldn't need the sun to get burned to ashes; He felt like he was in hell anyways.

Elena stepped out of the lake house door and looked back at her best friend. "Bonnie, could you stop at the boarding house first?"

"Elena, I don't think that's a very good..."

"All of my things are still there Bonnie. Please... I won't be long. You told me you would do anything to figure out how to break the bond and I trust you. Damon had had to wait for me for so long, I guess I can wait for him for three days." Elena gave Bonnie a weak smile. When they stopped in the driveway to the boarding house, Elena took a deep breath.

"You don't have to do this, you know? You can crash at my place." Bonnie suggested.

Elena's expression changed from insecure and afraid to determined in a split second. "No! I can do this! I'm no longer a weak human being, I am strong now. I'm a fighter!"

Elena had told Bonnie she wouldn't be long and that she trusted her with finding a way to break the bond. And that was absolutely true. She had spent so much time crying and mourning when she had been human, she just didn't want that anymore. It had broken her heart when Damon had 'set her free', but she couldn't quite imagine the agony he must be in right now. At least she knew with dead certainty that her feelings were real; He didn't. Damon had been waiting for two years; forced to watch her being happy with Stefan, his own brother and always standing on the sidelines. He could only guess that her feelings for him grew over time but he could never act upon them.. because of Stefan.

Elena could understand why he was dubious to accept her feelings. After all, she had finally confessed her feelings and after a few hours, he learns that she's sired to him. Of _course_ his natural reaction would be to think that nothing they've shared has been real in the first place. So he had to do the one thing that would break both their hearts as well as the sire bond and set her free. She had to be strong and confident for both of them now.

"Wait in the car, I'll be back soon!" Bonnie just nodded and Elena walked towards the front door. She knocked and when no one answered the door, she let herself in.


	2. 2 - Don't you see it?

Sooo... thank you all for you patience, here comes the 2nd chapter!

**Special thanks go to my awesome beta BeautifulDreamer.x who helped turn my "sucky" english in a beautiful story! I love and appreciate everything you did! 3**

**A/N:**  
Reviews are greatly appreciated! ;-)

Elena walked into the parlor and saw a small flame flicker in the fireplace. On the couch, with his back towards her, sat Damon; a bottle of bourbon in his hand, staring intently into the flames. Elena tried to control her voice. She wanted to sound steady and strong. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her nerves and spoke.

"All of my things are still here. I won't be long." She told him, glad her voice didn't betray her at sounding as steady as possible.

When Damon heard the front door, he immediately knew who was coming in. He could smell her, sense her; he knew the rhythm of her footfalls so well. So well infact, that he could identify her amongst hundreds of others just by sound. He couldn't move. He knew if he dared to move one muscle, he'd rush towards her, push her against the nearest wall, kiss her senseless and take her right there. Since that was not an option right now – or ever again, as a matter of fact – he remained perfectly still, staring at the fire, gripping the bottle of Bourbon so hard he almost crushed it with his bare hand. Her voice sounded strong. It was the right thing to do, after all. He needed to set her free; It was the right thing to do for her.

Five minutes later, Elena rushed downstairs. She gathered all the things she left in Damon's bedroom and bathroom and when she was finished, she had hid something for him to find. She wanted to show him that her feelings have always been there; that they were, are and always will be real. She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him. He didn't move an inch, staring ahead.

"Goodbye Damon... see you in three days." She muttered with as much strength as she could muster before opening the door and rushing towards Bonnie's car.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked as soon as Elena sat in the passenger seat again.

"Peachy..." Elena answered, still trying to hold herself together. After swallowing hard, she dropped her bag into the foot weld and looked at Bonnie, managing to give her a half-genuine smile. "I'm sorry... could you take me home now."

He must have drank all the bourbon in the world last night; at least that was how he felt when he woke up the next morning. It was one of those days, that reminded him of the painful fact that even vampires could get a hangover. It took longer to reach that point than it did for a human, but it still happened. Today, his head felt like it would explode any second. Then again, it matched the feeling in his chest. The dull ache was still present, recollecting last night's events. He grunted and turned around to avoid the world for a few more hours. When he stuck his hand under his pillow, he felt something. Raising a confused eyebrow, he pulled the object out and stared at it. It was a photo album. Elena must have forgotten it here, but why was it under his pillow? He went to rest it on the nightstand when a piece of paper fell out. Damon sat up and carefully unfolded it. It was Elena's handwriting.

_Dear Damon,  
__I know things are kind of screwed up between us and I know that it's the right thing to break the sire bond. You did the right thing by setting me free, Damon. I'm so proud of the man you've become. I always knew you had it in you; you have just been too afraid to let people see the good in let me in and more and more, I've been falling for you. I'm so incredibly lucky to have you in my life and to call you my friend. What I am feeling for you is real, Damon. I'm going to prove it to you that I've had real feelings for you long before I became a vampire and that these feelings have been growing even stronger after my transition. The bond is what it is, that's why we have to break it; my heart had made it's decision a long time ago and I'm so sorry that I haven't been brave enough to tell you all of this earlier. If I had, we wouldn't be in this mess right now. I'm telling you now and I'm going to show it to you, too. In this album, there are pictures of us. Look at the pictures, Damon. Maybe you can see it in my eyes and maybe you'll even see yourself as the man of worth that you've become. The man I see every time I look at you. Maybe you can see him through my eyes.__  
_

Damon opened the first page and stared at a picture of him and Elena dancing. It had been taken at last year's Miss Mystic Falls pageant, when Damon had stepped in for Stefan. They were standing face to face, holding up their palms but not quite touching each other. There was the smallest of spaces between their hands yet it was so intimate, the tension so tangible. Elena looked at Damon with wide eyes. Her expression was scared and surprised... cautious even but also excited and carefree and it looked like she actually enjoyed this moment; like she was happy to experience it with Damon. The picture had a caption.

_This was when I realized for the first time, that I cared deeply for you. Stefan had not shown up to be my escort and you stepped in. I hadn't expected you to; you caught me by surprise. I hadn't known what to think about that, but you have been incredible. You've let me see a different 'you'; I've liked the Damon who's been dancing with me. It hasn't bothered me anymore that Stefan had ditched me. Except I've been too afraid to admit that. If I had actually accepted my feelings, I couldn't have done that to Stefan at the time. I had realized then, Damon, that I could have feelings for you one day, but this realization had scared me to death, which is why I've always denied it. You can see it in my face; you can see, that I enjoyed being there with you; dancing with you. The entire time we have known each other has been kind of dangerous, but I've felt so alive... and it's still like that, you know. You still scare me because you are more passionate than anyone I've ever known. I'm scared you'll overwhelm me and honestly? You do sometimes.. but you also make me feel so alive. I can enjoy my life – or afterlife – when I'm with you. I can enjoy being a vampire when I'm with you. No one else has this effect on me. No one makes my life better or more enjoyable than you do, Damon. Even more, since I've let myself admit my feelings for you. I can't lose that again; I can't lose you again, Damon.  
__Yours, Elena__  
_

Damon took a deep breath. He really wanted to believe her and in a way he did; at least his heart believed her. Ever since she had told him that she had broken up with Stefan and that he had been the reason for the break-up, his heart had not really been his anymore. It belonged to her now. Then again, it already had been hers for a long time now. His heart did not doubt her confession for a split second. The moment she had said those words, his unbeating heart had been hammering in his chest; his mind couldn't really follow his heart. Too many times had she denied her feelings; Too many times had she chosen Stefan first. Why should she change her mind all of a sudden? Stefan was the good guy again. He had not been in Ripper-mode for months now and he began to be in full control of drinking human blood.

He shook his head to rid it of those disturbing thoughts and turned the page. The second picture showed a scene from a decade dance at the High School. Damon and Elena were facing each other, she was pressed up against him and she smiled that genuine happy smile he loved so much. Damon remembered it like it was yesterday. Stefan had been dancing with her that night. They had waited, rather impatiently for Klaus to show up at the dance and when Caroline had come in, Stefan had had to tell her what had been going on letting Damon cut in and dance with Elena. She had been quite impressed by his moves and after he'd spun her around and pulled her close to him, she'd smiled that smile. He remembered that moment so clearly because he wanted to see her like that every day. Happy, carefree and enjoying herself; enjoying life itself. He read the caption that she had written underneath.

_Dear Damon,  
Dances seem to work well for us, huh? I wanted to show you this particular picture because it shows exactly how you make me feel. That night I has been so scared! Klaus had threatened to show up at the dance and I had been completely paranoid. I had been dancing awkwardly with Stefan for a while, always checking the crowd, peeking in every dark corner of the gym. I hadn't been able to get my mind off of the whole Klaus-issue. When I'd seen Caroline and Matt come in and Stefan had said he would go and talk to her, you had cut in. You'd asked me how I was doing and I told you that I was freaking out a bit. Then you'd managed to cheer me up in like two seconds. You'd been mimicking how I'd freaked out at the last decade dance when the tomb vampires had threatened to kill us. After that, you'd spun me around a few times and suddenly, all I'd been able to think about was how much I was enjoying this. Being carefree like this. You do this to me, Damon; Even in the most dangerous and threatening situations, even in the darkest times, you manage to cheer me up, make me smile and make me happy. No one else can do this. Thank you for always being there for me.  
Yours, Elena  
_

'_Yours, Elena_'. Oh, how he wished that it was true! He wanted her to be his forever! He wanted to break that sire-bond and find out the truth. He had to, he would go insane otherwise. The witch he and Stefan had met in New Orleans, Nandi, had told him he had to set Elena free. And then what? Could he still talk to her and see her? Should he leave Mystic Falls for a while to avoid contact at all? Would the bond break over time or would it only be broken if Elena would fall in love with someone else? He had no idea.

When he turned the page, he saw one last picture in the album. It showed him and Elena cooking together in Elena's kitchen. The picture had been taken when Stefan had left town with Klaus. Damon and Elena had been growing closer during that time while he had helped her locate Stefan and bring him back. In the picture, Elena was smiling brightly. She was nudging Damon with her elbow because he was teasing her about an old family recipe for Chilli.

_Dear Damon,  
You know when this picture had been taken; It had been the hardest time of my life. After my parents death, I'd been devasted. I hadn't known how to live anymore. Stefan had showed me the way back when he came into my life. When he left after he sacrificed me and our love to save your life, however, I hit rock bottom. My parents had died, I'd known it and I'd been able to process it. With Stefan... I hadn't known where he was; I hadn't known if he was okay. I hadn't even known if he was still alive but you had given me hope. You'd always promised me that you would bring him back. You had been there for me during that awful time when I needed you the most. You'd never let me down and I've been so grateful for that; I still am. Not only does this picture show how life has been between us... it also shows how I want it to be in the future. I want to have a life with you, Damon. I want us to live together and to cook together like in this picture. I want us to sit in front of the fire place, hold each other and just enjoy the silence together. I know we will never have a normal life and that there is always gonna be threat, danger and death but with you by my side, I know I can face all of that. When we have survived it – like we always do – we willl still have eachother._  
_See you in two days..._  
_Yours, Elena_

After he had closed the album, he looked at the ceiling above his bed. He knew he was losing his mind because of what he was going to do next, but he had to talk to someone...

"Come on Rick," he muttered, still looking up at the ceiling. "Can't you do something for me buddy? I know I've been a real dick every now and then but Karma can't be SUCH a bitch! This sire-bond is crap! I mean… seriously? Klaus' hybrid puppies are supposed to be sired to him but a _vampire_ sire-bond? You have got to be kidding me!"

When Elena woke up the next morning, she was beyond annoyed. She didn't know three days could be such a long time. With every second that passed, she was hoping Bonnie would call her to tell her she had already found something to break the sire bond.

An hour later Elena entered the Mystic Grill. She had to distract herself. Knowing that Matt would be working today, she decided to pay him a visit. If she'd stayed at home waiting for Bonnie to call, she would go insane!

"Hey Matt, how are you?" She greeted him and took a seat at the bar.

"Hey, I'm good. What about you? And how is Jeremy holding up?"

"I'm a bit of a mess because of this whole sire-bond crap but Jeremy is doing good, I think. He's at the lake house with Shane. Damon is supposed to show him how to hunt."

"What's the deal with that bond anyways?"

"I don't really know. Tyler said it the sire bond doesn't affect actual feelings, just your actions. Everybody acts like I'm only attracted to Damon because of the sire bond."

"You've been into him forever..." Matt stated confused. "It's been obvious for a long time."

"Yes, I know; I've just never admitted that to anyone, not even to myself really. I've always denied it because I've been too scared." Elena explained. "I've been scared that I would lose Stefan and I've been scared that Damon loves me too much."

"Speaking of..." Matt trailed off, pointed to the entrance of the Grill. Stefan and Caroline were coming in, Tyler directly behind them.

"I'll talk to them; Make them understand." Elena said determinedly, making Matt nodd.

"Good luck, Elena." She smiled warmly at him, thankful for his understanding nature. She stood up and walked over to the table her three friends were sitting at.

"Hey..." she greeted them with a small smile. "Can I talk to you guys for a second?"


	3. 3 - You can suck it!

**Special thanks go to my awesome beta BeautifulDreamer.x who helped turn my "sucky" english in a beautiful story! I love and appreciate everything you did! And to the lovely charlotte123450! Thank you so much for your reviews and your emails... Delena is ENDGAME! ;-) 3**

**A/N:  
**Reviews are greatly appreciated! ;-)

-

Stefan didn't say a word, simply staring at the table. Caroline was hesitant but spoke up after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"Sure, take a seat."

"Thank you. I wanted to talk to you about the sire-bond and about Damon." Elena explained, settling down in the seat next to Caroline. "Tyler, you said that the bond only affects your actions, not how you feel; If that is the truth, why is everybody still pretending that I'm some brainwashed string puppet?"

"Maybe it doesn't work the same way with vampires..." Stefan suddenly said. His tone was cold; too cold. Elena knew he was raging underneath but he wasn't the only one who was mad! She had every right to be mad at him too!

"Maybe it doesn't... but who do you think you are to tell Damon to send me away or set me free or whatever!? Everyone has been telling me that they have known that I've secretly had feelings for Damon! You've said it yourself! You've even sent us on a road trip together so that I could figure out my feelings; Yet now you pretend like these feelings showed up all of a sudden after my transition.. Like no one could even imagine something like that when I'd still been human?" Elena paused for a breath before continuing

"And you-" She looked over to Caroline. "You were supposed to be my friend! Instead, after I told you,_ in confidence, _that I'd slept with Damon, you ran off to Stefan and told him about it?"

"I didn't run off to tell him! I just-" Caroline started to defend herself, but Elena wasn't finished with her speech. She had to get it off her chest.

"Whatever... you know what? I'm so sick of this whole 'Damon is so evil' crap! You are such a bunch of hypocrites!" She snapped. "Okay, sure... he did some horrible things in the past; Haven't we all?"

"Stefan, what about your ripper days? You killed hundreds of innocent people too. You enjoyed it; You revelled in it! So don't you _dare_ go all 'Saint Stefan' on me!"

"Bu-"

"Caroline, you killed someone too! Not to mention you turned one of the hybrids in for Klaus to kill. That's not exactly the all-american-sweetheart either. Damon has changed; He's flipped the switch and let himself feel again. He has saved me more times that anyone else and has always been there for me when I've needed him. I know this stupid sire-bond is a problem, believe me, I do! But it doesn't mean that my feelings for Damon aren't real! They have been real before and they are real now. You both need to get it together and accept the fact that I'm in love with him. If you can't accept that then... I don't want any of you to be in my life anymore!"

Elena let out a frustrated sigh and stood up, leaving the Grill. Outside, she let herself sink against the nearest wall and took a deep breath. She felt much better now after getting all of that off of her chest; she was determined to make everyone understand that Damon wasn't the bad brother anymore. There was no such thing as 'the good one' and 'the bad one'. Either one of the Salvatore brothers had good sides and bad sides. She was sick of everybody blaming Damon for everything bad that happened in this town.

She started to head towards her car when she suddenly remembered something she's just said...

'_So get it together and accept the fact that I'm in love with him_' She had never thought or said that before, but she had to admit, it felt great! It felt real! She knew that she had not just said it to shut them up or to defend Damon. She had said it because it was true. She got in her car, settled in her seat before pulling out her phone and calling Bonnie.

Two hours later, Elena was sat on the sofa in her living room, waiting rather impatiently for a knock on the door. The minute she heard a set of knuckles connecting with the wooden door, she jumped off the couch and tore towards the door, pulling it open. She smiled as it revealed Bonnie and Tyler on the other side.

"Bonnie, finally!" She greeted her best friend when she let her inside. "Tyler, I didn't know you were coming, too."

"Tyler is kind of an expert on the siring subject." Bonnie explained with a smile. "Maybe he can help us..."

Elena nodded and closed the door before all three of them headed into the living room.

"So, I've looked in every grimoire that I have and I think that I have some ideas. But I can't promise you anything Elena. There is no guarantee that any of this will work."

"I know, Bonnie."

"Tyler, how does the werewolf sire bond work exactly?" Bonnie asked him.

"Basically, I'm grateful to Klaus for relieving me from the pain of having to turn every full moon. In order to break it, I had to turn until I wasn't not ruled by the pain anymore." He told them.

"Ok, so what's the vampire equivalent? I mean, Elena doesn't have to suffer pain or anything like that; Damon didn't relieve her from anything when his blood turned her."

"I don't really know. From what I've learned, a vampire sire bond is like loving someone too much. It can get to a point where you don't allow yourself to disagree with your sire at all. You love them so much, that you would do anything to make them happy."

"He can't just tell me to ignore the bond, can he? That would be far too easy..." Elena muttered, mostly to herself.

"No, it doesn't work that way. You can't be compelled to tell the truth either; Compulsion only controls your mind. A sire bond goes much deeper. It affects your instincts; it gets deeply ingrained in your subconscious. It's a loyalty that can't be controlled purposely."

"So basically, that means that it can't be broken, right?" Elena looked defeated and annoyed. Why did this have to happen to her and Damon? Now that she was finally brave enough to commit to her feelings for him?

"Maybe it can," Bonnie said. "I have to do a few finishing steps tonight, but I think I have something that could work." Bonnie gathered up her things and stood up. "Oh... and we need something that reminds you of Damon; Maybe something he gave to you or something that affiliates yourself with him; It has to be something that's really important to you, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see what I can find." Elena wasn't sure what Bonnie needed and what she could pick. Damon didn't give her a real present. Well, he did when she turned eighteen but that was the necklace that Stefan once gave her. She had never expected him to make her presents either; Why would he? They were friends and you didn't lavish presents on your friends every day. Suddenly, something came to mind and Elena headed upstairs immediately.

-

The next morning, Elena got ready in no time, grabbed her bag and headed straight to Bonnie's. When she got there, she stopped dead in her tracks. Everyone was already there. Everyone; Including Stefan and Caroline. Well, everyone except for Damon. They sat on the living room floor and circled around two huge cushions where apparently Elena and Bonnie were supposed to sit. Elena wasn't sure what to think about that. Why would Bonnie invite Stefan and Caroline? She knew both of them didn't approve of Elena and Damon's relationship in the slightest.

"Hey, Elena... come on in." Bonnie greeted her and Elena took a seat on one of the cushions.

"What is going on in here, Bonnie? Why is everyone here?" Elena asked shooting a glance at Stefan and Caroline.

"I think I figured something out and I want them all to be here to witness this. I don't want anybody to question your decisions after this. This is some serious stuff, Elena." She said to her. "If this works, and I think it will, your decisions,your feelings, your head will be clear afterwards." She smiled lightly at Elena, who returned the gesture and mouthed a quick 'thank you' to her friend.

"I'm not going to lie to you Elena, this won't be easy. You have to fight really hard to break the bond. It will fight you; You have to really want it, okay?"

"I really want to break it." Elena said with determination.

"I figured..." Bonnie winked at her and began to gather a few things. She lit some candles and sat down again. "Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Um... yes-" Elena rummaged in her bag and pulled out a neatly folded sheet of paper. "Here..." She handed it over to Bonnie who unfolded it carefully. "It's a road map of Denver."

"And this is important to you?" Bonnie asked her. Elena looked insecure. She didn't want to go there with everyone listening.

"I have to know Elena. Otherwise, this won't work. Come on, you can tell me."

Elena swallowed. She had to do it. She wanted to break the stupid bond so badly! She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she looked determined and she was! She was determined to prove to everyone , Damon included, that her feelings were real! She loved Damon; she knew that now with dead certainty!

"When we had been in Denver, I realized for the first time that I had feelings for Damon; Feelings that went deeper than just friendship. Maybe I realized it way before that but in Denver, I admitted it to myself for the first time, I admitted it and let myself act on those feelings." Elena explained. "It's been such an important step for me and even if it has been short-lived, I've enjoyed every second of it so much! I've felt alive for the first time in over a year. If it hadn't been for Jeremy, I don't know what else would have happened after we kissed." She paused, casting a glance to Stefan and Caroline who were not looking at her anymore.

"Go on.." Bonnie urged.

"When we got beat up by Kol in Mary's house, I completely chickened out again. I have been so scared because these feelings were so intense on both sides; I was scared I could never love him the way he loved me, though I knew I've never loved anyone like that before. So I made up some lame-ass excuse to why I couldn't choose him. I've tried to convince myself, that it would be better, easier and less dangerous to go back to Stefan, hoping that my old feelings for him would resurface eventually. That's just not how it works. I still love Stefan... but I'm no longer in love with him." Elena felt terrible having to say this in front of Stefan, but maybe it was time he understood how she really did feel. "My feelings for Damon...They grew every day and they are still growing now. So every time I'm afraid of what I feel, I look at this map and it reminds me that I'll never ever chicken out again because I'm scared to let myself feel what I feel. That is why it's so important to me."

Elena looked around the room and winced at the silence. She looked back at Stefan who was boring a hole into the floorboards with his eyes, his fists clenched. He was hurt, she could tell. She never wanted to hurt him like that but she couldn't deny her feelings for Damon any longer. She always claimed to be nothing like Katherine so she had to make her decision final and clear.

"Okay..." Bonnie's voice cut through the quiet. "We have to burn the map." She announced all of a sudden making Elena immediatly stiffen.

"NO! We can't do that!" She blurted out, distraught.

"That's the bond, Elena. It won't let you burn the map because that's what it's holding on to. You have to fight it! You have to be stronger! We need to burn the map to break the bond." Bonnie explained. She lit two candles with her mind. One next to her, one next to Elena. She put some herbs into a bowl and held it above the flame. "These herbs will help to suppress the bond, to weaken it but you still have to fight - and fight hard. YOU have to be the one to burn it, Elena." She handed the map over to Elena, who took hold with shaking hands. "Here..."

Elena's whole body was quivering. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. When she reopened her eyes again, she reached for the map but had great difficulty; She couldn't grab it.

"Bonnie, I can't..." She said with tears in her eyes and her voice was barely a whisper.

"Elena... Elena, look at me!" Bonnie demanded. "Look me in the eye!"

Elena couldn't look away from the map. It was like her sight was glued to the damn thing! It was so hard to take her eyes from the piece of paper making it impossible to imagine how hard it would be to burn it! After a few more deep breathes, she finally managed to look at Bonnie.

"You have to fight! You have to break the bond. You said you wanted to break it! You had been so determined three days ago. Try to find that strength again! Be strong for Damon; be strong for your love. Come on, you can do it!"

Elena swallowed hard. She remembered how she'd told Bonnie she had to be strong for both herself and Damon. And she had to be even stronger now! She wouldn't let the sire bond control her; She would make her own decisions and she would decide to burn the map! She didn't need some piece of paper to remind her to not be afraid of her feelings, she knew that now! Elena crumpled up the map and moved her hand slowly towards the burning candle. The closer she got to the flame, the more her whole body was trembling. Her body was fighting against her mind and it was taking it's toll on her. She had to break off the first attempt and was breathing really hard. She glanced around and looked at her friends.

Tyler and Matt looked at her encouragingly, Caroline looked sceptical and Stefan still had a hurt look on his face but also looked defeated; Like he knew that he had lost Elena for good. Bonnie looked as strong as Elena should feel and suddenly, she did. She got hit powerfully by a strength she didn't know that she possesed. She also did not know where it was coming from. It felt like it radiated from Bonnie and ignited a fire inside her own body as well.

She clenched her fist tightly around the paper and held it over the flame. Just when she was about to open her hand, the flame died out. „What the hell just happened?" Elena asked in confusion.

"It has to be the bond. It's fighting back." Tyler shouted. "Bonnie, you have to keep that flame burning!"

"Okay... Elena, we can do this – together!" Bonnie said and took Elena's other hand. The next second, the flame was burning again, higher and hotter than before. Both Bonnie and Elena had to use all their strength to keep the flame alive and to open the hand and let the paper fall into the fire. When it was done, the two girls were breathing hard. They looked down on the candle and its flame which was burning the remnants of the map.

"Did it work?" Elena asked after a few seconds.

-

**So guys... the next chapter will also be the final chapter. Be prepared... :-)**  
**Please, if you like this story, leave a review...**  
**I have some stuff in my mind and I'm thinking about writing it down, so... if you'd like to read some more of my stuff... review! ;-)**  
**Thx...!**


	4. 4 - I told you so!

**Special thanks go to my awesome beta BeautifulDreamer.x who helped turn my "sucky" english in a beautiful story! I love and appreciate everything you did! I also wanted to thank everyone who wrote a review! They mean so much to me. Thank you very much!**

I hope you guys enjoyed this story. I'm working on something else and I hope to get it done soon. Another Delena-story... in case it isn't obvious... ;-)

Enjoy the final chapter and... review, review, review! ;-)

"I guess so..." Bonnie answered. The tension and the exhaustion vanished from Elena's mind and body; she was just relieved. She knew she would be free now, in every sense of the word. She laughed and leaned forward to give Bonnie a tight and heartfelt hug.

"Thank you Bonnie... thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me just yet; We have to make sure it's really broken. There are no guarantees until we have proof."

"Okay... let's go then!" Elena said and got to her feet in a flash. She was so excited to tell Damon the news. The last three days had felt like years; Decades maybe. Waiting for the days, for the hours, minutes and seconds to pass... it had been the hardest thing she'd ever done! No, she just couldn't wait to go to Damon and prove to him that the bond was broken and that her feelings were real. She ran towards the door in vamp-speed and with a big grin on her face. "Come on, Bonnie... hurry, we have to go!"

Damon was sitting infront of the fire-place, sulking, drinking and hating the bond as well as the fact that he didn't seem to deserve some happiness, no matter how hard he tried to do the right things.

He heard a car pull up in the driveway. He didn't recognize the sound of the engine so it was neither Elena, nor Stefan. Because of that, he couldn't care less who the hell it could be.

The front door swung open and he heard two sets of footsteps coming into the parlor.

"Hello Damon..."

If his heart would have been beating in the first place, at this point it would have stopped for sure. He couldn't move though. He just sat on the couch, frozen in place, staring into the flames. He had to use all his strength to compose himself. To remind himself, that he was in no position to run over to her, grab her, kiss her senseless and take her to his bedroom this very moment! Even if that was what he wanted most right now.

"Bonnie, would you mind waiting in the car? I'll let you know if I need you."

So Bonnie was there, too. He heard her leave, but he couldn't give a rat's ass because he also heard Elena approach the very couch he was just sitting on. She took a seat next to him, facing him. He didn't dare to look at her face at first, but he simply couldn't resist it for more than two seconds. She looked as beautiful as ever. Her long, sleek hair fell perfectly over her shoulders and down her back; her face, still so fragile yet as perfect as if it was carved out of marble. No matter what she had to say, he couldn't disagree with her or deny her anything tonight. So much for the sire bond... sometimes he didn't know who was sired to who.

"Did you find my gifts?"

The last words he said to her came to mind...'I'm setting you free, Elena. This is what I want. This is what will make me happy.' He had to clear his throat.

"Yes. I found them. Thank you."

"Damon... come on. Haven't you seen it in the pictures? Read it in the captions? My feelings for you have always been there, way before the transition. You still don't believe it?"

"I want to Elena..." Damon suddenly said and leaned forward. There were only inches between their faces. "I really want to believe that. Those pictures... how you look at me, what you wrote in the captions... that's the one thing I want from 'life'. I want it to be real."

"Then just believe me... it _is_ real."

"But how am I supposed to do that, huh?" Damon's voice grew louder. He got angry. This was all too much. This sucked - big time! The one girl he wanted, the one girl he truly loved was sat on the couch next to him, only inches away... and he could do nothing, because he couldn't be sure of her words, her feelings and her actions. He sure as hell wouldn't take advantage of her believing something that was inflicted by a damn sire bond. He got up and poured himself another drink.

"Let me show you."

"And exactly how are you planning to do that? There is no way, Elena!" Damon looked at her in confusion, annoyance and disbelief. She stood up from the couch and approached him. When she was standing in front of him, she took his hand. It felt like the sun and vervain were burning his hand... but the pain was a good pain. Strong, like electricity. He craved that pain. He loved that pain! It only burned for a split-second and then transformed into the most amazing feeling. If he thought about it rationally, something that felt so damn amazing couldn't be fake; It had to be real. But when it came to vampires, witches, werewolves, hybrids and – for fuck's sake – sire bonds, 'rational' wasn't really an option.

"Let me show you..." She repeated and looked him in the eye. No, she looked right into his soul. She knew exactly what she was doing and what she wanted and that made her even more beautiful. "Give me an order!" She demanded all of a sudden.

"You have got to be kidding me?"

"Nope! Come on, Damon... give me an order; Anything..."

He thought about it. She wanted to proof something. Had she trained to resist the bond? Had she found a way to break it? Either way, _if_ this was going to work, it was worth a try.

"Okay..." He said, took another sip of Bourbon, smirked and announced "I want you to strip naked and dance on the table!" After a second he added, with an evil smile. "That would make me more than happy, Elena..."

She did nothing. For seconds, she just stood there, looking at him with a straight face. Finally, she opened her mouth and spoke to him. "Seriously? You couldn't have expected me to do that even _with_ the sire bond still working. Do you know me at all?"

He couldn't say a word. Could this really be possible? Could the bond be broken? Elena smirked and seemed more than happy with what had just happened.

"Are you telling me that the sire bond is broken? Do you really want me to believe that, after two or three days of research and some of Bonnie's voodoo witchcraft, you managed to break the bond? Stefan and I had travelled to freaking New Orleans! We talked to a one billion year old witch who told us that there was no way to break the bond! Hell, Charlotte had still been sired to me although I hadn't seen her or talked to her or even thought of her once in over eighty years! After all of that, Bonnie just happens to have a grimoire lying around which contains the chapter 'How to break a vampire sire bond that is neither supposed to be broken nor to exist in the first place'? Come on Elena!"

"It's true..."

Damon and Elena looked to the front door. Bonnie and Stefan were standing in the doorway. Stefan looked directly at Damon and repeated Elena's words. "It's true, Damon. They broke it."

He walked further into the parlor and came to a halt just in front of Damon. Elena took a few steps backwards. Neither of them knew what was about to happen. Damon has never been able to figure Stefan out completely. He could still suprise his brother. Just when Damon thought he understood him, he changed again or did something totally out of character.

"I saw them do it. I was there. Elena's not sired to you anymore. Congratulations, brother... you finally got her. I lose." When Stefan said that, he looked down at his feet for a second. Damon took advantage of that moment and glanced in Elena's direction. She looked sad. But the way she looked at Stefan was more like she would look at Jeremy or Bonnie or Matt when they were hurt. Stefan raised his head again and the brothers made eye contact.

"I know you didn't take advantage of the bond and by setting her free, you proved to me that you have really changed. I know that must have been the hardest thing you have ever done yet you did it. I'm going to keep my word and leave town..."

"Stefan, you don't have to do that..." Elena interrupted him.

"Yes, Elena, I do. It's just for a while... I just need some distance." Stefan looked at Damon again who just nodded and Stefan returned the gesture. Damon hadn't expected his brother to ever be cool with the whole situation, but maybe he would get over it at some point. Damon closed the distance to hug his brother. He expected the hug to be kind of awkward but it wasn't; It was sincere and Stefan needed it.

"I've got your back, brother." Damon said before taking a few steps backwards. Stefan nodded again and left, Bonnie on his heels.

That left Damon and Elena alone again. She smiled a warm, heartfelt smile.

"See, I told you it's broken."

"How?" Damon still couldn't talk very much; the tension was so thick! He didn't dare to try anything. He had to be one hundred percent sure.

"Tyler assumed that the vampire sire bond exists because one's feelings for their sire are so heightened, that it's just too much. Bonnie wanted me to bring something that you've given me or that reminded me of you. Something, that's been very important to me. I brought a map of Denver, that reminded me of our road-trip and Bonnie wanted me to burn it. The bond wouldn't let me do it at first and I had to fight really hard but it worked, Damon, it really worked." She smiled again and took a few steps towards Damon.

He really wanted to believe her. He wanted nothing more but decades of turned-off emotions had taught him to question things; to be sceptical and negative. This hope he felt was new and he didn't want it to turn out as false hope.

"Damon..." she said and took his hands in hers. The touch was so feathery he barely felt it. It was careful, caring... loving? He looked down at their hands and Elena intertwined her fingers with his. She was stroking the back of his hands with her thumbs and when he looked up again, her eyes were soft, molten brown it looked almost fluid and he could've drowned in them here and now. "Damon, you've seen the pictures. You've read the captions beneath those pictures. Don't you realize that you are the one that I want? That you have been for the longest time? I'm so sorry I haven't been strong enough to tell you sooner but look at the pictures again; The way I look at you, the way you make me smile, the way I feel when I'm with you... It's been there for quite a while and I've been too afraid to admit it, but I'm not afraid anymore. I love you Damon!"

All the while she was speaking he searched her face; her eyes for the slightest hint of doubt or for any sign of the sire bond but he couldn't find anything. All he saw was determination and pure emotions. This was serious, It was real and it was true. And suddenly, she had said the three words he wanted her to say the most.

"What did you just say?" He had to hear it again. He needed her to say it again. You could say those words nonchalantly once, but not twice.

"I love you, Damon!" She smiled at him in a way he had never seen her smile before. Her love for him was written all over her lovely face. This was it, his restraint could only stretch so far. He let go of her hands, grabed her face and crashed his lips against hers. She responded immediately and they stumbled backwards until Elena's back was pressed against the wall next to the fireplace. They were kissing each other like they had been seperated for years. Suddenly, Damon broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers and they were both breathing hard.

"What is it Damon? I know you are thinking about something, tell me?" Elena could read him like no one else.

"I've been waiting for so long to hear you say those words Elena, I just... I don't know how to deal with that. Is this real? Is it really true?"

She smiled lightly and cuped his face with her hands.

"Yes. Yes, it is true Damon. I think I've loved you for quite a while, I just haven't realized it until yesterday. I met Stefan and Caroline at the Grill and I was so angry at them for always seeing the bad in you, never the good and for taking the sire bond as an excuse for everything I had said and done since I had turned. I yelled at them and somehow I ended up saying that they should get it together and accept the fact that I was in love with you or I didn't want to have them in my life anymore. I've just not wanted to tell you before the bond's been broken. I mean, I've known my feelings have been real ever since but you haven't and I wanted you to be sure about us first. I wanted you to believe me, that we had broken the bond. I guess it wouldn't have had the same meaning otherwise."

"It wouldn't... thank you," He answered and kissed her again. "For everything, you know. For being the way you are; for chosing me, for fighting so hard to break the bond and for saying that." He smirked. "I love you, too, Elena. Just in case it isn't obvious."

-

Soooooooooooooo... this is it.  
It's over... kind of bittersweet... I really loved writing this story. I wish there would be a happy end for Delena in the show, too. But as long as Julie and Kevin are not giving us any happy Delena moments, we just have to create them ourselves.

Love, Nina


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